Stanislaus County begins project to improve neglected neighborhood in Modesto
Stanislaus County has begun work on long-awaited improvements to the Colorado/Rouse area, an unincorporated pocket in west Modesto.
The area, formally called Urban Pocket Area 9, has been the subject of local government initiatives to bring neglected neighborhoods up to modern standards. Colorado/Rouse is in need of sidewalks, storm drainage, sewer mains and street improvements.
At a ceremony Wednesday to celebrate the start of construction, officials said the project would not be possible without a commitment of $13.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds from Stanislaus County and dollars from partner agencies.
The State Water Resources Control Board came through with $9.6 million and Modesto contributed $5 million in ARPA funds. An additional $3.18 million in building community infrastructure and local funds rounds out the nearly $31.2 million funding package.
The taxpayer funding covers $4.3 million in pre-construction costs and $26.8 million in construction expenses.
“This is a neighborhood that has gone without many of the things that we take for granted,” county Supervisor Mani Grewal said. He noted the project will deliver 100,000 square feet of sidewalks, 30,000 feet of curb and gutter, curb ramps for the disabled and 400,000 square feet of roadway.
The neighborhood named after Rouse and Colorado avenues has 331 parcels. The upgrades are expected to result in safer streets and a healthier community.
Lucas Alberto, a neighborhood volunteer, helped communicate the project to residents by going door-to-door. Mailers were sent to homes, but not everyone read them, and it helped to explain the project to Spanish-speaking households and property owners who don’t live in Modesto, Alberto said.
To meet a project requirement, at least 50% of the households had to commit to using municipal sewer service.
Residents have been waiting for years for the project, but funding was always an issue. A community resident said a major need is wastewater service hookups to replace residential septic tanks that have been failing.
“The basic needs are simple sidewalks, connection to sewer, the things we take for granted as regular citizens,” Alberto said.
He said he moved away from the Colorado/Rouse neighborhood but later returned. He has two children attending Modesto High School, his alma mater. “They are flourishing,” he said.
County Public Works Director David Leamon said the project should be completed in no longer than two years. The improvements should make the unincorporated pocket ready for annexation to the city.
The wastewater service rate for single-family homes will be an estimated $46. The service rate for apartments and units in mobile home parks will be around $33 a month.
This story was originally published February 12, 2026 at 5:00 PM.
